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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-11-11, Page 39Community Marching in memory Exeter Legion members, Exeter Scouts, Cubs and Girl Guides,army cadets and many members. of the community paid tribute to Canada's fallen soldiers during Remembrance Day ceremonies including this pa- • rade on Sunday on Exeter's Main St. starting at the Cenotaph. Mass c " ` f s "n" over new tax cap in Lucan vision" for the new municipality and he still hasn't made up his mind whether he'll run. Becoming hydro jocks When questioned by councillor Glenn Silver about what the dereg- ulation of Ontario Hydro will mean for Lucan-Biddulph. Benner said much is still up in the air. What is known is public hydro commissions like Lucan and. Granton Hydro (which will merge as part of the Lucan-Biddulph amalgamation on Jan. 1, 1999) will be forced to become private busi- nesses that will be regulated by the province.. The private commissions will buy power from electricity pro- ducers and resell it to local cus- tomers. Those private commissions will be able to buy the power lines in the areas they serve (Lucan Hydro also serves "Ailsa .Craig), though Benner noted" it may not be feasible -for small commissions to do so. The private commissions will,atse be able to sell shares in the busi- ness, though Benner noted again many commissions will choose not. to. 'Coon concerns , Village animal control. officer Howard Currie has caught and destroyed 16 raccoons over the last • few months that were suspected of carrying leptospirosis disease, oth- erwise known as raccoon rabies. Since disposing 'of diseased wild animals is over and above Currie's regular duties of chasing at large dogs and picking up injured eats, Reymer suggested paying Currie $20 per destroyed raccoon. Reymer added the extra payment to Currie would be for this year only. Councillor Perry Caskanette want- ed to get advice from the Middlesex Health Unit before acting and sug- gested paying Currie a flat $200 for prior 'coons and $20 for any addi- tional ones. ' Deputy Reeve Harry Wraith didn't want to pay Currie •any additional money at all, figuring Currie "isn't too busy" with dogs and the village already pays him "a good wage." By Craig Bradford TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF LUCAN Lucan council is won- dering what's fair in the province's Fair Value 'Fax Assessment with the caps on commercial and indus= trial tax hikes announced last week. Many businesses are finding it.dif- ficult or impossible to come up with the money to pay for hefty tax increases levied by the village because of the province's new tax assessment system. The province announced com- mercial and industrial municipal tax increases would be capped. at 10 per cent this year and five per cent for the next two years while other businesses who had their taxes go down this year could have their rebates clawed back to help bail out those with big increases. At last week's `council meeting, administrator Ron Reymer said the new cap could mean Lucan will reissue commercial and industrial tax bills to give rebates to Lucan businesses that received more than 10 per cent tax hikes this year. "This flies in the face of fair value assessment," Reymer said. adding the announcement is causing "mass confusion" among Middlesex County's municipal administrators. "There's got to be a better.. way to do this." Reymer added the province might turn multi -unit residential building into commercial properties for tax purposes to make a bigger pool to give -rebate to businesses that experienced massive tax hikes. A . Middlesex administrators' meeting is being planned to discuss how to deal with the•business tax cap, Keymer said. Other notes from the meeting: Not so Reeve Robert Benner said com- ments he made last month on his not running for re-election next November for the newly merged Lucan-Biddulph Township were inaccurate. He said what he meant to say is he still doesn't have "a Keymer was to contact the health unit and the item was deferred. Still no OPP quote Benner said the London OPP 'has . refused to give a Middlesex County- . wide policing service quote because the quote won't truly be a county- wide one since Strathroy-Caradoc, North Dorchester; West .Nissouri and Middlesex Centre have decided to solicit quotes from_theLondon Police: Benner said Middlesex County council should find out whether' those municipalities are going with the London Police at the next coun- ty council meeting yesterday after press. • "We don't seem to have a county government right now," Benner - said. "lit seems that it is every man for himself (when, it comes to the OPP contract)." •We don't want it. Both Lucan and Biddulph Township•council passed resolu- tions supporting Middlesex County's resolution "telling .the province to take back the responsi- bility' for ambulance services it downloaded to municipalities. The resolution also asks the province to -return full funding to ambulance services and the resolution will be forwarded to MPPs, the Minister of health and the Premier as well as local municipalities. Pin me Lucan Scouting member Patricia Griffith, 18, has asked the village to help' her on her quest to go to the 19th World.Jamboree in Chile next year. Griffith has raised about $3,200 of the $5,000 trip so far through vari- ous raffles, chocolate sales, part. - time jobs and other fund-raising endeavours. Griffith is still looking for sponsors to help her reach her goal. Reymer said Griffith is looking for the . village to donate official Lucan pins so she can trade them with others from around the world at the Jamboree. Council approved giving Griffith as many pins she wants. • Children's Aid Society gearing up for Huron County Christmas Bureau By Scott Nlxon IIMES•ADVOCATE STAff EXETER — As Christmas gets closer, the Huron County Christmas Bureau wants us to start thinking about those less fortunate in the community. The Christmas Bureau, which falls under the um brelia of the Children's Aid Society of Huron County, has been working for 40 years to see every child gets food and gifts at Christmas time. June Johns, a volunteer with the Children's Aid So- ciety. is working on getting the word out to the pub- lic on the importance of giving to the Bureau. Exeter residents can drop off gifts and clothing to the Christmas Bureau at the Exeter United Church on James Street from Dec. 7-11. Historically, the Bureau has had a shortage of chil- dren's clothing in sizes 8.12 and is asking for people to bring in these sizes if possible. Johns said the purpose of the Christmas Bureau is Jo provide families in need with new clothing, gifts and food to make Christmas less economically and emotionally stressful.•. • Last year, about 1,200 children in the county re- ceived new gifts from the Christmas Bureau. Starting this week, families in need can call the Children's Aid Society -at 1-800-265-5198 to let vol- unteers know which sizes of clothing they will re- quire at Christmas time. All meetings and conversations with Bureau "vol- unteers are confidential. The Bureau is also asking for cash; donations, which will be used to give people food vouchers that can be honoured at area stores. In addition to asking people to donate new. "items, the Christmas Bureau also relies on people such as -Exeter resident Joan Cole, who knitsduring her spare time to make clothing for the. Christmas Bu- reau. Cole has already donated 50 pairs- of homemade mittens to the Bureau. , She also has finished four sweaters and hopes to have two more done by the end of the month, .when she'll donate them to the Exeter United Church. Cole, who adds there are several other knitters in Exeter who donate clothing to the Bureau every year, says she hasn't had to spend a cent on wool because she's constantly being " given extra wool from friends and neighbours.. In" addition to knitting sweaters and mittens, Cole has also knitted socks and winter hats in the past. Sim said she started knitting for the Bureau a few years ago w get "involved in the community and said . of her knitting, "It's nice to know that somebody can .make use of it." She said her grandchildren have been very for- tunate and she's glad to help young people who ' aren't so fortunate. Johns added the Bureau is always looking for more. people like " Cole to help out and said com- munities need to know about the good, (he Children's Aid Society+and its volunteers are doig. "There are really good people doing great things," she said.. • _ The Bureau's motto is "The Huron County Christ- mas Bureau is like a community bank, folks take out when they are in need and put back when times_ are better." At left, Joan Cole works on one of the sweaters she will be donating to the Christmas Bureau this year. Children's Aid Society volunteer June Johns displays some of Cole's already -finished work.